Cleaning apparatus



DEC. 8, w B HODGE 2,063,873

CLEANING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 17, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented Dec. 8, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLEANING APPARATUS Application January 17, 1936, Serial No. 59,612

6 Claims.

This invention relates to method and means for cleaning textile machines and more especially to a travelling cleaner having separately adjustable blast producing means for directing downwardly converging swirling blasts of air onto the machine as the traveler passes over the machine or over a row of machines. Preferably, the traveler is designed to pass successively over a plurality of machines arranged in spaced parallel rows so that specified portions of the machines will be cleaned at regular intervals.

I am aware of the fact that heretofore various types of travelling cleaners have been provided for travelling over machinery and especially textile machinery for removing lint and other particles therefrom, but it is an object of this invention to provide an inexpensive traveler having a pair of fans mounted for universal movement and preferably being arranged to be directed 20 with their longitudinal axes converging downwardly and inwardly and preferably turned at an angle to offset the fans so that the blasts from the fan will not interfere with the blasts from the other fan but they will be directed so that the blasts from one fan willpass by the blasts produced by the other fan.

It is an object of this invention to provide a traveler adapted to travel along a track arranged above a row of machines and said traveler having thereon a pair of disk fans adapted to produce swirling blasts of air to be directed downwardly and inwardly and in staggered relation so that swirling, staggered blasts of air will be converged downwardly onto the machine as the traveler passes longitudinally of the machine or machines arranged in a row or in parallel rows.

It is another object of this invention to provide a trackway arranged above a plurality of rows of machines with said trackway having mounted thereon for travel therealong a traveler and said traveler supporting a pair of fans, preferably of the disk fan type which are mounted for universal adjustment on said traveler and said traveler having mounted thereon a motor which not only serves to propel the traveler along the track, but which also serves to drive the two fans for pro ducing swirling blasts of air and directing them onto the machine over which the traveler is passing and in which the fans are mounted for universal adjustment and are preferably arranged so that their longitudinal axes converge downwardly and inwardly and preferably in staggered relation.

-Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Figure l is a sectional view through a trackway showing in elevation a traveler and the fan supported thereby showing the upper portion of a spinning frame with which the traveler is adapted to be associated;

Figure 2 is a sectional plan view looking downwardly along line 2-2 in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical, detail sectional view taken along line 3-3 in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a schematic view showing the arrangement of a plurality of machines arranged in a plurality of rows with a continuous track disposed above said rows of machines;

Figure 5 is a view partially in section and similar to Figure l but showing suitable housings disposed around the fans if desired;

Figure 6 is-a vertical sectional view taken along line 6-6 in Figure 5 through one of the housings;

Figure '7 is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing the fans driven by a traveler mounted for travel on a trackway supported by the machinery and with the traveler travelling above the trackway and having means for driving, not only the traveler, but the fans supported thereby.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the numeral Ill indicates the ceiling of a room such as in the large single-room buildings in textile mills, and this ceiling is usually supported by a plurality of joists l I. To this joist a plurality of hangers l2 are secured having brackets I3 secured on the lower end thereof supporting a track l4 and an electric conductor assembly l5, with the track and conductor assembly being adapted to support a traveler and furnish electrical energy thereto. This traveler is broadly referred to by reference character IS.

The traveler is similar to that shown in the patent to Walker #l,781,142, issued on November 11, 1930, and comprises a wheel adapted to travel on the track l4 having a shaft 2| mounted in a housing 22 and having a bevel gear 23 thereon meshing with a bevel gear 24 disposed on a shaft 25 mounted in the hollow portion 26 of the housing 22, said shaft having a pinion 21 on the lower end thereof meshing with a smaller pinion 29 on shaft 32 of a motor 30 mounted in member 26.

The member 26 extends downwardly below pinion 29 forming extension 26a and has an enlarged perforated portion through which the motor shaft 32 extends, said shaft 32 having pulleys 33 and 34 thereon. The member 26a on the lower end thereof also has laterally projecting hollow portions 35 and 36 which are split on their lower edges and have bolts 31 and 38 disposed therein for adjustably confining arms 40 and 4|. The arms 40 and 4|, on account of being pinched by the tightening of bolts 3'! and 38, may be adjusted in the desired position.

The outer ends of arms 40 and 4| have supports 43 and 44 pivotally secured thereto by means of bolts 45 and 46, which supports 43 and 44 support tubular bearing members 41 and 48 rotatably supporting fan shafts 49 and 50 which have pulleys 5| and 52 on their upper ends which are adapted to have mounted thereon belts 53 and 54 which are also mounted on pulleys 33 and 34 respectively on the motor shaft.

and 51 thereon which are normally pressed upwardly by means of springs 58 and 59. Also,

brackets 60 and BI have one of their endssecured to the tubular bearings 41 and 48 and are slotted at their other ends and are adjustably secured to arms 40 and 4|.

The lower end of shafts 49 and 50 have mounted thereon fans 63 and 64 which may or may not have guards 65 and 66 secured therearound. These fans are adapted to direct downwardly converging, swirling blasts of air onto the creel boards and other portions of a spinning frame 61. Any other type of textile machine other than spinning frames, as shown, may be substituted, as this cleaning apparatus is adapted to be used for the cleaning of any type of textile machinery.

In Figure 5, the identical structure as described, is present except that housings 1D and H are shown as being secured around the fans 63 and 64. These housings are secured in lieu of the guards shown in Figure 1 and are preferably fiattened at their lower end so as to provide or form a transversely disposed nozzle in which the vanes 13 and 14 may be adjustably secured by means of each vane having a threaded extension projecting from one end thereof through a slot 15 in the nozzle portion of the housing with a wing nut 16 thereon for adjusting the vane so as to proportion the blasts of air issuing from said nozzles so as to direct the proper amount of air onto the desired portions of the machine over which the traveler passes.

In Figure 7 of the drawings, a slightly modified form of the invention is shown in which like reference characters are applied to like parts. The main difference between the structure shown in Figure '7 and the structure shown in the preceding figures, is that the structure shown in Figure 7 is adapted to be supported by a traveler mounted on top of a track which is secured to the machine or machines over which the traveler is adapted to travel.

In Figure '7 a traveler is shown which is approximately the same structure as shown in the patent to William B. Hodge, #2,011,763 of August 20, 1935. This traveler 80 houses an electric motor BI and has wheels 82 adapted to travel on trackways 83 and 84 secured on cross members 85 supported by uprights 86 secured to the upper creel board 81 of a spinning frame or supported by any suitable textile machine.

The upper portion of housing 80 has secured thereon a member 88 through which the upper end of the motor shaft 89 is adapted to project and on which the pulleys 33 and 34 are mounted. The arms 40 and 4| are secured to this housing in the same manner as previously described and the remaining portion of this structure is identical to that shown in Figure 1.

The traveler 80 has a bracket 90 secured to one side thereof which projects downwardly and inwardly and upwardly and has a brush 9| secured thereon adapted to have contact with a plurality of electric conductors mounted in an insulating structure, the conductors and insulating structures being referred to broadly by reference character 92. This brush and insulating member and the electrical conductors are identical to the fl structure shown and described in the said patent to Hodge, and therefore, a detailed description of the same is not necessary.

Although the structure in Figure '7 is shown as having the guards 65 and 66 therearound, it is Arms 40 and 4| have tightening pulleys 56 evident that the same may be equipped with housings l0 and 1| as shown in Figure 5.

The traveler herein described is adapted to travel over a plurality of rows of machines as indicated in Figure 4, wherein the machines are indicated by reference character 95, and the course of the trackway is indicated by reference character l4. Here it is shown that a plurality of machines are arranged in parallel rows and the traveler travels consecutively, first over one row and then over the adjacent row until the sets of rows of machines have been traversed, at which time, the traveler returns over its course thus giving a cleaning operation to each portion of each machine at regular intervals.

If desired, however, the structure can be mounted on a trackway other than a continuous trackway and may have back and front movement as shown and described in the said patent to Hodge.

In the drawings and specification, there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only, and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for cleaning textile machinery comprising a track arranged above the machinery, a wheeled. traveler mounted for travel on said track, a motor mounted on said traveler, a pair of outwardly and oppositely diverging arms mounted on said traveler, a pair of downwardly directed disk fans mounted on the outer end of said arms, means connecting the motor to the traveler and to the fans for driving the same, means for adjusting the position of the fans with relation to a transverse, vertical plane, and means for adjusting the position of said fans with relation to a longitudinal vertical plane.

2. Apparatus for cleaning textile machinery comprising a track disposed longitudinally of and above the machinery, a wheeled traveler mounted for movement on said track, a motor mounted on said traveler and having a driving connection with the wheels of said traveler for propelling the traveler along the track, a pair of outwardly directed arms secured on said traveler and occupying approximately a horizontal plane, a pair of disk fans adjustably mounted on the outer ends of said arms, means connecting said fans to said motor for driving the fans, and means for universally adjusting the position of said fans to direct swirling blasts of air downwardly onto the machinery at the desired points as the traveler travels over the machinery.

3. Apparatus for cleaning textile machinery 7 arranged in rows and comprising a continuous track disposed above the rows of machinery, a wheeled traveler mounted for travel on said track, a motor mounted on said traveler and having a driving connection with said wheeled traveler, a pair of oppositely and outwardly projecting arms secured on said traveler, a fan mounted in the outer end of each of said arms, a driving connection between the motor and each of said fans, and means for adjusting the longitudinal axes of said fans longitudinally and laterally of said machinery whereby a pair of swirling air blasts may be directed onto the desired portions of the machinery as the traveler travels over the track.

4. Apparatus for cleaning textile machinery comprising a plurality of machines arranged in rows and a track arranged along said machines, a wheeled traveler mounted for travel on said track, a motor mounted in said traveler for propelling the traveler along the track, said motor having an extended motor shaft provided with a pair of pulleys, a pair of oppositely directed and laterally projecting arms secured on said traveler, a fan mounted on the outer end of each of said arms and having a pulley thereon for driving the same, a belt connection between the pulleys on the motor shaft and the pulley on each fan shaft, means for adjusting the position of the longitudinal axes of the said fans both laterally and longitudinally of said machines.

5. In apparatus for cleaning textile machinery arranged in spaced parallel rows, a continuous track disposed above said machines, a wheeled traveler mounted for travel on said track, an

electric motor mounted in said traveler, a driving connection between the motor and the wheels of said traveler for propelling the same along the track, a pair of outwardly and laterally projecting arms adjustably mounted in said traveler, a fan adjustably mounted on the outer end of each of said arms, each of said fans having an extended shaft for supporting the fan, a pair of extended bearings for rotatably supporting the fan shafts, a. driving connection between the motor shaft and the fan shafts, and means for adjusting the longitudinal axis of each of said fans with relation to the vertical transverse plane passing through the machine and a vertical longitudinal plane passing through the machine.

6. Apparatus for cleaning textile machinery comprising a track arranged above the machinery, a wheeled traveler mounted for travel on said track, a motor mounted on said traveler, a pair of outwardly and oppositely diverging arms mounted on said traveler, a pair of downwardly directed disk fans mounted on the outer ends of said arms, means connecting the motor to the traveler and to the fans for driving the same, means for adjusting the position of the fans with relation to a transverse, vertical plane, means for adjusting the position of the fans with relation to a longitudinal, vertical plane, and a housing secured around each fan and having a nozzle on its lower end which is narrow longitudinally of the machine and wide transversely of the machine and a baffle plate adjustably mounted in each nozzle for dividing and proportioning the air blasts issuing from said nozzles.

WILLIAM B. HODGE. 

